A Good Weekend From Bad Weather

[MattR]

It's just time for some good news.

 

The weather at our campout was fine until Saturday afternoon when a wind storm came in and started blowing tents all over. I was starting a SMC with one scout right before the wind picked up and the rain came. I told him the SMC would be delayed. All the new scouts were screaming part in fun and part  fear.  The scout tents were rolling, and folding, and just having a bad time because they were not staked down correctly or the stakes were pulling up from the wind and soft ground. I did not want to risk destroyed tents making this a teachable moment so I grab our ammo can full of heavy stakes and a big stick and start staking down tents correctly. All of a sudden the SMC scout was next to me asking if he could help. I said sure, grab a stick and start staking down tents. Given I just had surgery he did a lot more than I did. After the storm ended and we resumed the SMC I asked him why he came out to help. He said he was curious as to what I was doing and figured it was the right thing to do. It has taken him 3 years to get to First Class so I asked him what his goals are in scouts. He paused, like he had never thought of this, and said he wants to get Eagle. I asked him why, another pause, and he said he just wants to be an Eagle scout. Good enough for me. Then we went and looked at who and what got wet, along with what tent poles broke. The new scouts were the only ones with problems. Some of the older scouts saw what I was asking and just took over. I backed off and let them go with it. Everyone ended up in dry clothes and dry sleeping bags. The next moring it was all blue skies and big smiles. All the new scouts thought the campout was awesome, and for 4 of them this was their first campout. We do thorns and roses at the end of each campout and I asked the scouts to include what they were thankful for. I was with the new scout patrol and several scouts said they were thankful for "whoever came and staked down my tent," or "the scout that gave me dry pants."

 

It was just one of those campouts that recharged my enthusiasm. I wish I could bottle this and show it to all the naysayers. There is something magical about scouting.

[Stosh]

..... and this is what is known as Leadership.  Management would never have been as effective.

 

Now the trick is to teach these dynamics without the need of the storm.  

 

Well done, MattR!  You've got some potential Real Eagles in your troop.

[Sentinel947]

Matt I'm glad to hear things are moving in the right direction for you!